Wife's Lament and Christian influences

I see "The Wife's Lament" more as a portrayal of the effects of the Anglo-Saxon traditions than as going against the tradition. The Anglo-Saxon tradition being discussed is that of peaceweavers and their role in their new home and the speaker is lamenting the failure of her peaceweaving and its consequences. Stories such as Beowulf show the glory and might of the Anglo-Saxon tradition while "The Wife's Lament" tells the story of the women left behind when the mighty warriors lose.
One common theme I saw throughout all of the readings was the Christian influences on the Anglo-Saxon writings. Even though the Anglo-Saxon ideas of Christianity may not agree with the our understanding today, God is often referred to as the source of power for people such as Judith or a protector in "The Dream of the Rood." The very presence of Christianity in the culture changed the stories with the introduction of books and literacy from the monasteries. I think that it is intriguing how the reader can see evidence of the spread of Christianity even in the (mostly) secular literature such as Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Rachel Means